The hawk and the fly shot toward him at astonishing speed, but Duncan still held the range advantage. His conjured red flail lashed out, its chain rattling like actual metal. Yet it did not obey the laws of physics at all. The launched flail turned sharply, curving into a trajectory that attacked the hawk-masked figure from the side. He didn't evade and to Duncan's surprise, the flail passed harmlessly through its target. The fly-masked woman did dodge, her movements small and instantaneous as she ducked down in her sprint.

They were upon him now, two against one. He also vaguely registered the heat that was building behind him - likely Clementine's doing. It was the hawk-masked man who crashed into him first, attacking with hand and feet against his raised shield. The other tried to slip past him, but he wouldn't let that happen so easily. Not while he still had cards to play.

Duncan pivoted, but the shield kept hovering in place to block the hawk-masked man. The red flail separated - the spiked ball flattened into a buzz saw, while the chain retracted to take the shape of a broadsword. The buzz saw sped toward his hawk-masked attacker without warning or wind-up, while he cut at the other with his broadsword. Both were forced to leap back, shifting the momentum of the battle in his favour.

He shot a glance at the buzz saw and it scattered into a cloud of daggers that shot toward the fly. Then the shield burst forward, which Duncan had aimed to bash into the hawk. It was a good counteroffensive, but he would need more red to keep this up and there weren't a lot of opportunities to scan his surroundings. The second he looked away, the fly-masked woman returned. Her suit was torn and her right arm was out of commission, but that hadn't stopped her.

Then there were other distractions too. In case of Noa, a helpful one at least.

"I'm working on it!" Duncan called back. The broadsword evaporated into a thick red mist to obstruct the fly-woman's view. He couldn't control the red energy properly like that, but it'd buy him some much-needed time.

Duncan glanced at Clementine, saw her state of being, and began to doubt his decision. Not that he had other options though. "Stay calm Clementine. We've got this." As he spoke, Duncan seized back control of the red armour - with Clementine still in it. The whole package catapulted toward Noa and once there, stopped instantaneously, faded to release Clementine, and began returning to him as a single stream of colour.

In that same view he caught a glance of Errol. His half-brother seemed to be on equal footing too, and there were more hostiles than they were currently facing.

That made this feel like a good time for the red traffic lights.

What had been a lit red sign on one of them became dull gray, its colour fired as a bolt of energy. Not at the brute of stone, the unnerving fly, or the uncatchable hawk. At Errol.

The bolt would hit his hand and wrap around the base of his fingers into semi-transparent knuckledusters. "Charge those!"

He was forced to the ground by a hard kick from the hawk-masked man. From the mist, the woman emerged. Perhaps he hadn't bought enough time after all.

Duncan's voice manages to pull her out of her hyperventilating panic, if only for a moment. His words, a beacon of focused reassurance amidst the chaos, cut through the turmoil swirling within her mind. With each syllable, Clementine felt a semblance of calm wash over her, like a soothing balm for her frayed nerves.

Yet, even as Duncan's voice anchored her in the present, Clementine couldn't shake the lingering sense of unease gnawing at her insides. She knows that her control over her powers is slipping the more she lets her emotions take control, the flickers of plasma dancing along her fingertips serving as a stark reminder of the storm brewing within.

As the red armour carried her toward Noa, Clementine's eyes went wide as her eyes flickered between her brother and the two masked opponents. Despite Duncan's attempts to reassure her, she can't shake the feeling of impending dread that weighs heavy on her chest.

Up until now, the third member of the fourth had watched the Hawk-masked and fly-masked allies go to town on Duncan, while the fourth had gone after Errol. The hawk-masked brute went for Duncan to pull him back up, just to punch him back down. Whether he wanted to knock out Duncan or just enjoyed punching down, was unknown.
The fly-masked woman looked to the third member of the squad, the one who hadn't engaged at all and looked more like he was observing the situation. The third member wore an owl mask and decked out with all manners of knives, swords and metal-reinforced gauntlets. With a nod, from the owl-masked man, the fly-masked woman left Duncan and the hawk-masked brute and went around the destroyed car to go after Clementine and Noa.

Meanwhile, Clementine had managed to quickly get up and over to Noa, having gained, somewhat, control over her powers again, the young girl just managed to lock eyes with Noa, before she felt a painful iron grip lock around her hair, forcing Clementine to release a pained scream as she was lifted into the air by her hair and held right in front of Noa, using Clementine as a human shield in case Noa had any bright idea of attacking.

As Clementine's scream echoed through the chaos, a surge of heat ignited within her, fueled by the intensity of her fear and desperation. With a fierce determination, she seized the fly-masked woman's wrist with both hands, channelling the raw power of her plasma abilities into a blistering inferno.

The air around Clementine crackled with searing heat as her plasma powers surged to life, enveloping the woman's wrist in what looked like incorporeal orbs of a scorching blaze. The intense heat radiated from Clementine's hands like fire, bathing the immediate vicinity in an oppressive warmth that bordered on unbearable. Anyone standing nearby could feel the heat washing over them like the searing breath of a furnace, forcing them to instinctively take a step back to escape its fiery grasp.

With a guttural cry of pain, the fly-masked woman recoiled as her wrist was seared by the scorching plasma, the skin blistering and blackening under the intense heat. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the acrid scent of charred fabric as the woman stumbled back, releasing her grip on Clementine's hair.

The shrieking from the fly-masked woman pierced the sky, causing the other mutants from the group to pause, if only for a second or two as the fly-masked woman watched the blistering skin and blackening flesh of her hand and wrist fall off the bones in chunks, like meat served at a restaurant.

As Clementine broke free from the woman's grasp, her hands still radiated with the residual heat of her plasma powers engulfing her hands like miniature suns. The air around her crackled with the intense energy of her abilities, sending ripples of heat distortion shimmering around the traffic light.

Amidst the fighting, the temperature around Clementine soared to uncomfortable levels, the air thick with the oppressive heat emanating from her fiery aura. Noa immediately felt the spike of heat rise, her skin prickling with sweat. The owl-masked man who previously had purely focused on the hawk-masked man attacking Duncan had now turned his full attention to Clementine only to speak into his comm attracted to his wrist as he stepped away.

The chaotic sounds of the city were overshadowed by the crackling hum of Clementine's plasma powers. The air itself seemed to vibrate with energy, as if charged with the raw power of the sun, casting a golden glow over the surrounding buildings and streets.

Errol lifted his head off the ground, rising into a seated position. Once more, he took in his surroundings while ignoring the granite behemoth headed his way for another attack. He heard Noa call out to Duncan, ordering him to send Clem her way. He felt relief in his chest, knowing she'd be safest with Noa and Duncan would be able to divert his full attention on his attackers.

Errol's attention returned to Rocky, who was even closer now. Coming in for another attack, Errol lunged out of the way as Rocky smashed his hard fist into the ground where Errol was originally sat. Landing into a roll, Errol pivoted his body to face Rocky and shot to electric bolts from his eyes. Hitting Rocky's shoulder, they had no effect on him.

"You ain't bright are you?" Rocky growled at Errol with a smug tone.

"Hell nah, perra. Just stubborn!" he retorted.

It was all talk, in truth this was a ridiculously humbling experience. Throughout his entire life, Errol was constantly told of his power and more than made up for it in his actions. Running with the Strays, Errol had his fair share of fights with both humans and other mutants, never once losing a fight or even worrying about who he fought. He even developed a reputation from it, people feared him, he never lost and always dealt with his rivals quickly and efficiently.

Naturally, Errol would develop an inflated ego from all this. Now in his current position, being so helpless and useless against who he was fighting. The young mutant had a lot to reflect on. If he survived this.

Rocky once more rushed toward Errol, this time at breakneck speed. Errol attempted to hit Rocky with another torrent of electricity but met the back of Rocky's hand. Rocky's left arm swung back, connecting to Errol's jaw and sending him in the direction of where Rocky's arm swung. Once more, Errol landed on his back, spitting blood out from a cut lip.

Lifting his head, Errol saw a red blur shoot his way hailing from Duncan. Errol felt the red energy wrap around his left hand, shifting into a construct of knuckle dusters. A smirk crept on his face, and strangely, Errol could feel a small rush of energy enter his body from Duncan's construct. It felt... strange but he could feel that it was also energising him, similar to when he'd charge his own cells with electricity. Errol's eyes shifted to Duncan as his older brother called out to him, telling him "charge" them.

Errol also saw that Duncan was struggling with his two attackers. An eye for an eye, Errol directed his index and middle finger into a "finger gun". Shooting a dart of electricity at the hawk-masked man attacking Duncan with enough force to knock him off his feet, buying Duncan whatever time he'd need. Back to Rocky, he was coming in for another attack. But this time he was now strolling toward Errol, clearly confident in his advantage over Errol's powers.

Here goes nothing. he thought to himself. Channelling the electricity into the red knuckleduster wrapped around his knuckles, the merging of both his and Duncan's powers turned Errol's electrical output red. Electricity crackled around Errol's hand and he rushed toward Rocky, who was still strolling toward him. Throwing a straight cross toward the centre of Rocky's body, the impact created a small explosion, with red electricity dispelling around the surrounding area and destroying the knuckleduster construct in the process.

The punch left a hole in Rocky's armor, and sent him a few inches back. Shocked at what just happened, Rocky was too distracted to see Errol come in for a follow up attack. The mutant slapped his palm on Rocky's exposed skin and sent a large current of electricity through his nerves with enough juice to kill him. Rocky yelled out in pain before falling on to his back, dead. Smoke aporated from Rocky's chest and Errol could feel the temperature getting hot. Was that from his attack?

Then he heard a bloodcurdling cry, Errol turned his attention to see the fly-masked woman's skin practically melted and falling off her wrists. Errol shot one of his arms forward, blasting the woman with electricity and knocking her off her feet slamming her into one of the destroyed cars. Clem did that? He rushed over to both her and Noa, as he did so he thought to himself: he never really knew the capabilities of her mutation. Feeling the heat rise in the warzone they were in, he realised: was she really this powerful?

Instinctively, Noa reached to grab Clementine’s hand as soon as she was within reach but immediately withdrew it upon the realisation that she might accidentally harm Clem in doing so, aware that her own abilities were harder to control with heightened emotions. Though she tended to be level-headed, nothing could prepare her for an impromptu warzone in the middle of the street.

Without hesitation, she swung the rifle around from her back and aimed it towards Clem’s attacker. Though she had little experience in the way of marksmanship, there was a certain advantage to be gained from heightened senses and reflexes. Unfortunately, none of that would matter now as the attacker had prepared for such an eventuality by using Clem to ensure her own safety. "Buzz off, Bitch." She said sharply.

Noa’s focus turned from the scope of the weapon to the ebb of light emanating below it, shortly followed by a growing warmth which forced her to step back, lowering her weapon as she did, only to see the harrowing sight of Clem’s abilities in full force from the charred flesh to the gut-wrenching scream of pain. Nothing could have prepared her for what she had just witnessed.

It was probably just as well that she hadn’t accidentally grabbed Clem earlier, for her own sake.

Though still shocked by the situation she had just witnessed, she was not perturbed enough to forget their priorities, or at least not enough to show it. Noa had seen enough people act towards her with apprehension and she didn’t want to pass the same judgement she had experienced onto Clementine, even if she was feeling unsettled in the moment. Besides, she had no idea how Clem was feeling right now. It was just as likely that she was scared too.

Calmly, but loud enough to try and breach the sound of crackling around them to reach Clem, she approached as close as was comfortable before the prickling heat became too much to bear. “Come on, Clem. This isn’t your fight.” She spoke gently, trying to offer some comfort in their unprecedented situation.

Despite her calm demeanour, her expression when she locked eyes with Errol told another story, one of concern. There wasn’t time to discuss though as two of the brutes came barreling towards them.

“Get in the truck.” She told the pair solemnly without taking her eyes off of the incoming adversaries before quickly snapping and running to the open door of the armoured vehicle that she had cleared out minutes before. Even if Duncan managed to intercept the mutants heading their way, it was no good for anyone to be standing out in the open. Turning the key that had been left in the ignition, the engine roared to life.

The Continental soared through the lightly trafficked streets. With its roof down, a brisk stream of wind caressed the driver's longish hair. Nathaniel had received tidbits of information throughout the evening - all due to his affliction. Doctor Duncan Fraser, the former x-man who had a recent attempt on his life, was in town. Men and women armed to the teeth had just headed out in a number of black vans and an armoured car was speeding into the city. The information provided to him by his animal friends along with a call to the institute had been enough for the lawyer to conclude that shit was about to go down.

High above, birds could be seen flying towards the area. An observant eye could spot a few stray cats and mice heading in the same direction. All from a few simple words "Gather who you can and meet me there" - the wonders of the mutation never ceased to amaze.

Naturally, news carried by birds and critters could only travel so fast and Nathaniel's predictive powers ultimately boiled down to a hunch. When he finally arrived at the scene, the battle had been going on for a bit. Unexpectedly, a helicopter hovered in the air - something which his friends had completely missed. What's more - it wasn't just the doctor facing off against a bunch of armed goons, instead, it was a full on fight. Nathaniel's eyes quickly scanned the scene, seeing brutalised street lights, noticeably grey cars and traffic lights, asphalt was dented and a person had seemingly melted in front of a red-headed girl - one whom he knew, a former client.

"Right" he muttered, tightening his deep red tie, remembering that the professor had asked him to see if he could lend the former X-man a hand and keep civilians safe. With a subtle hand gesture, he summoned a dove who landed on the passenger side door. While the fight was raging - Nathaniel remained as calm as ever, safely observing and pulling a few strings from a distance. "See if you and your mates can cause enough havoc to force the pilot to either fly away or land, okay?"

A dutifully cooed "Aye aye" could be heard in response.

"No heroes, get out if it heats up. Make use of those side doors." he said, just as the dove took off to execute the plan. His gaze then turned to three rats who stood right below his own door "Can you guys understand me too?" - just as the question was asked, a violent red light lit up as another mutant seemed to create a powerful electric charge to put a serious dent in a rock-person. "This is way above my pay grade" he mumbled before looking back to the critters, having heard nothing but small squeaks from them thus far "If anyone raises a gun, just give them a small nibble and run away, okay?" - after hearing a few more squeaks, Nathaniel could do no more than to hope for the best.

He then saw the blonde across the intersection - clearly not part of the armed gang, climb into the armoured car, right before it hummed to life. "Grand theft auto, the prosecution will have a..." he trailed off as he saw a man raise a rifle at the doctor. Seemingly by instinct, the lawyer quickly flashed the car's main lights, creating just enough of a momentary distraction for a rat to arrive and nibble at the assailant's ankle. It wouldn't buy Dr. Fraser more than a few moments - but it was all he could pull off without getting directly involved in the fray.

There was an absolute furnace burning inside of Clementine, watching someone trying to kill her brother Duncan. The girl might have a difficult relationship with her oldest brother, but that doesn't mean she would just leave her brother. However, the fact that both Duncan and Noa wanted Clementine to go with Noa, jump into the black van and speed away.

Clementine's eyes blazed with the fervour of a solar flare, their fiery intensity a reflection of her deep connection to the sun itself. Like twin beacons of celestial energy, they shimmered with the radiant warmth of a thousand suns, each flicker of light a testament to the boundless power coursing through her veins.

In the golden depths of her gaze, there lay an undeniable resonance with the sun, a connection that transcended mere mortal understanding. It was as if the very essence of the sun's fiery brilliance had been infused into her being, illuminating her path with its divine radiance.

Yet, despite the radiant strength that pulsed within her, Clementine's eyes betrayed a lingering sense of uncertainty, a flicker of doubt that danced amidst the flames. As she turned to face Noa, her gaze wavered, torn between the urge to rush to her brother's aid and the instinct to heed Noa's call for retreat.

In that moment of hesitation, her eyes seemed to shimmer with a conflicted brilliance, their luminous glow casting a soft, golden hue over the tumultuous scene unfolding before her. Though her resolve wavered, the radiant power of the sun still burned brightly within her, a guiding light amidst the chaos that threatened to engulf her.

Then the blaring sounds of sirens filled the area, clearly, the police had finally arrived on the scene opposite where Noa, Errol and Clem, which caused even more chaos as more bullets started firing, but between the men in black and the city's police officers.

"We can't just leave Duncan!" said Clementine finally, clearly wanting to help her oldest brother as the red-haired girl looked to Errol and Noa. However, She was no hero, she wasn't brave and she was scared. But there was no way she would just leave her brother Duncan, despite him being a stupid ass most of the time see him.

Each orb crackled with the raw power of the sun, glowing with a brilliant radiance as she wanted to unleash upon the enemies threatening her family.

And yet, all of that fiery heat in her was interrupted by a stray bullet, strafing her shoulder. In a cry of pain, Clementine tripped and fell in Noa's direction. Luckily, Clementine had powered down, so Noa could catch the red-haired girl.

Errol finally made his way to Clem and Noa, placing one of his hands on Noa's arm, holding her while reaching out to Clem but quickly pulling his arm back once he felt the heat emanating from his sister.

"This is fuckin' crazy!" he exclaimed, still processing what Clementine had just displayed with her powers.

His electrified yellow eyes locked on to Noa's, returning her concern through his brows. So much was happening but his concern for Clem outweighed everything in his mind. However, Errol was forced to return his focus to the immediate threat as more of their adversaries threatened them. Noa, as always, was quick to think under pressure and immediately resorted to a solution - ordering him and Clementine to get in the truck.

However, Clementine wasn't all too thrilled about potentially leaving their brother behind. Errol wouldn't even be able to grab and pull her to the truck due to her current state, radiating all this heat. And if things couldn't get worse, the 12 pulled up. A bead of sweat began to trickle down from Errol's temple, whether that was from Clem's heat signature or the stress of the situation was up for debate. He knew he needed Clementine to be safe, and that she needed to get to the truck.

"Right now, mine and Duncan's priority is keeping you safe! The longer you take to get in that truck, the more--"

The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the area and a cry from Clem quickly followed. A small splatter of blood left her shoulder and the heat surrounding Clementine dissipated almost immediately. "CLEM!" he exclaimed, fury in his features. A sphere of electricity surrounded Errol's left fist and he promptly fired a torrent of electricity at the police cruiser, blowing it up.

Thankfully, Noa had caught Clem and was already directing her toward the truck. Errol followed after them and launched himself into the armored truck's backseat. Noa immediately hit the gas but not without direction from Errol "We need to get Duncan!" and quickly addressed his sister "How you doin', Tangerine? You still think its a good idea to live my lifestyle?" it was a stupid question to ask, but he hoped it would at least temporarily distract her.

As Noa drew the truck nearer to Duncan, Errol kicked one of the door's open and positioned himself on the edge of the exposed side of the truck's seat. Clasping one hand of the grab handles on the truck's ceiling, he outstretched his free arm as he called out to his brother.

"Hermano! Duncan!"

Errol shook his free arm, signalling for Duncan to grab him as they were about to drive past him. This was going to be tricky, and they'd both have to time this perfectly as this was their only chance at escaping together.

Noa half-stood over the driver’s seat, holding onto the handle on the ceiling while half hanging out of the open door as she urged the others to get in. When Clem chimed in with the reminder that they couldn’t abandon Duncan to his fate, Noa replied sarcastically. “Really? Why not?”

Regardless of the prejudiced feelings she held against Duncan, she wasn't cruel enough to abandon him. After all, he was somewhat of an ally and at the very least he was the brother of her best friend. Besides, there were plenty of people she didn't like but she wouldn't wish death on any of them.

The arrival of the police further complicated matters and heightened the urgency of their situation, especially as they seemed a little too trigger happy. Catching Clem with her free arm when she stumbled her way, she cursed under her breath. “Shit.” She knew how important protecting Clem was to Errol and Duncan. She didn't really care what Duncan wanted but in this instance it forced them to become a cohesive unit.

Hearing the anger and concern in Errol’s tone, Noa, as level-headed as ever, calmly reassured him. “I’ve got her.” She hooked her arm under Clem’s and dragged her into the truck whether Clem was able to physically assist or not.

With a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm the other two occupants were inside, she revved the engine into life but not without another reminder from Errol. “Yes, I know!” She replied, shouting back in response. "I'm not just going to throw him to the uhhh... ducks." She attempted to use an idiom she heard before, though not as successfully as she thought.

With only the side mirror for reference, she slammed on the breaks, fighting to keep control of the wheel as the truck skidded into a turn. As soon as she had visual confirmation of Duncan grabbing Errol’s hand, she immediately pushed the pedal to the floor, taking evasive manoeuvres to avoid traffic and whomever might be pursuing them.

“Oh shit, put some seatbelts on.” She told the group before frantically turning the wheel and roughly swerving into a hard left upon seeing a police car in the traffic ahead, slamming into the door as she did after neglecting her own seatbelt.

High above, birds swarmed the helicopter - a few failed in their approach a few times but the ravens learned quick. None of them were intelligent enough or capable of using the intricate control panels present in front of the pilot. Instead, they focused on affecting the pilot herself. Batting their wings in her face and clawing and pecking where they could, they eventually forced a misstep as a controler was yanked to the right as she tried to bat a raven away. It was not long before the helicopter turned, seemingly intent on departing.

On the ground level, Nathaniel sent a furious glance at the police officers who had just arrived by his side - they had shot the girl, a person whom he had defended and talked to in the past. He didn't have the chance to react before a torrent of electricity shot towards his end of the intersection. His eyes were immediately drawn to the source - the mutant - and then back to where it had just impacted. The Police officers who had been taking cover behind the car were bound to be injured.

"Scum!" he yelled at the aggressor whilst opening the door. "You dimwitted lowborn mutantspawned leech." he yelled from the top of his lungs whilst moving towards the injured officers. His eyes bore into the mutant, clearly filled with rage and fury. Right before entering into a light jog for the last few meters, he continued "You're the reason why so many people want the mutants out of our city! Its your fucking disregard for human lives."

Right before arriving by the exploded car, Nathaniel caught the attention of a crow and made a few simple gestures: First, his hands holding keys, then pointing to those in the police cruiser and finally the gesture of pulling them away. It was enough for the bird to get the gist of the message conveyed.

Joining the one officer who had tore himself from the fighting to help his injured colleagues, Nathaniel quickly confirmed that there was a pulse on one of the victims. Together, they pulled the injured officer towards a police cruiser before moving on towards the next person. As they did, Nathaniel hissed an angered "And you are an idiot. What were you thinking? Having a shotout in the streets, no warnings, no efforts to get civilians behind you or on the other side away? No sane lawyer would ever defend you against that lawsuit, Idiot." He didn't care for what the man replied - for when he was done talking, they had just arrived by the next victim.

This one lacked a pulse. Nathaniel checked once more as his heart pounded harder, curses slipping out from under his breath. When it still didn't have a pulse, he checked again, and then again. Feeling his eyes become wet, he looked away and muttered a bitter "Mutants"

It was then that he saw the armoured car leave as it had just picked up the doctor. "Idiot, look! You're letting them get away. Stop them!" The two men quickly rushed to their cars - only one of which still had their keys. Without wasting a moment, Nathaniel took off to pursue the escape vehicle.